I've recently bought a rather nice 17 year old R850GS. I was looking for a CB500 or somat to use as a commuter but the GS was shiny and red and my mrs liked it. I sat on it, smiled, started it up (Remus end can) and grinned. Not at all what I was after but since when was riding bikes about being sensible? The sensible bit comes in though as I've sold my 185mph rocket ship and bought a bit slower, my licence was showing the strain...
Since then it has snowed a lot, but not enough to prevent a run from Yorkshire down to Hampshire, then across to Herefordshire and back home, visiting relatives after Christmas. Motorway traffic was horrendous, it was literally freezing and the snow across the Cotswolds a little unsettling... I liked the heated grips. A lot.
The big red thing was very impressive overall and I have now officially bonded. A little fat for filtering but the most stable bike for riding on white lines I have ever ridden bar none (and this is my 43rd bike), so that more than compensated. The bike felt very easy and reassuring to ride slowly on slippery surfaces and handled cruising speeds just fine, although the screen chucked a lot of air in my face meaning visor down over 60. I have just fitted an MRA screen thing (works brilliantly on my V Strom) but it's snowing again so road testing will wait a bit longer. The engine is smooth and sounds fantastic to me, not the quickest but that's what I wanted, a bike to enjoy riding at sensible speeds. I have now stopped beeping the horn when turning left but still cancel the indicators when turning right. I'm not keen, but will get used to it. I still bang my shins on the engine from time to time, but I always was a slow learner.
All in all, I'm a happy bunny. Any tips you may have about this fine bike will be gratefully received. Apart from a brief stint on an R65 a while back this is my first BMW.
Since then it has snowed a lot, but not enough to prevent a run from Yorkshire down to Hampshire, then across to Herefordshire and back home, visiting relatives after Christmas. Motorway traffic was horrendous, it was literally freezing and the snow across the Cotswolds a little unsettling... I liked the heated grips. A lot.
The big red thing was very impressive overall and I have now officially bonded. A little fat for filtering but the most stable bike for riding on white lines I have ever ridden bar none (and this is my 43rd bike), so that more than compensated. The bike felt very easy and reassuring to ride slowly on slippery surfaces and handled cruising speeds just fine, although the screen chucked a lot of air in my face meaning visor down over 60. I have just fitted an MRA screen thing (works brilliantly on my V Strom) but it's snowing again so road testing will wait a bit longer. The engine is smooth and sounds fantastic to me, not the quickest but that's what I wanted, a bike to enjoy riding at sensible speeds. I have now stopped beeping the horn when turning left but still cancel the indicators when turning right. I'm not keen, but will get used to it. I still bang my shins on the engine from time to time, but I always was a slow learner.
All in all, I'm a happy bunny. Any tips you may have about this fine bike will be gratefully received. Apart from a brief stint on an R65 a while back this is my first BMW.